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Wednesday, February 12, 2014

The Classics Club Spin #5

The results are in! The Classics Club Spin number is 20, which means I'll be reading Middlemarch by George Eliot.

Middlemarch is one of five books added to my original Classics Club list as a personal bonus challenge. All five are "books in progress"... neglected for so long that a fresh start is a necessity. I started reading Middlemarch six or seven years ago with an online reading group and fell behind schedule. My bookmark is somewhere around page 300, but I'll definitely move it back to the beginning. I'm excited, but also a little intimidated. Have you read Middlemarch?

I tried it once a few years ago, but I didn't get too far with it. I've tried some of Eliot's other books since then, and I was thinking I'd try Adam Bede next. I feel like I'm working my way back up to Middlemarch!

JaneGS - I was enjoying it before, but lost motivation when I got so far behind the group. Remember putting the book aside to get a head start on the next one...had good intentions of returning to it soon. I'm certain it will be better this time!

Great timing,with all the buzz around My Life in Middlemarch and what not. I read it in December and it wasn't as tough as I'd bargained for. It's long but it's also so well written, you can cruise through it pretty easily.

JoAnn,I read Middlemarch during my final semester in college for a History of the English Novel course, which was taught by a wonderful older professor whom I came to adore because of her accessible scholarship and warm personality. I was very depressed that semester as well, and I remember I clung to the books in that course for dear life. I loved every single book, and I adored Middlemarch, and I must say I also loved Eliot's The Mill on the Floss, which we read right before Middlemarch. We read so many books. How did we do it? Anyway, I was right there in the action of Middlemarch every minute.Judith

It's a beautiful book but definitely give yourself some time with it! I can't remember how long it took me but it was a while (pre-babes). My pick is The Tempest. It's been about 10 years since I've read Shakespeare so I'm a bit nervous!

Middlemarch is one of the few classics I haven't read. I was supposed to read it my senior year in college, the last semester. I just couldn't do it! I will read it...hopefully this year or, if not, next. I'm actually looking forward to it. I hope you like it!